There is 0 romance in this drama. So if you're at the moment looking for romance, I suggest you look elsewhere because this drama doesn't have that ok. Ok?
Now, the second thing you should know is that I actually surprisingly did not go into this drama as a fan of Lee Jun Ki. I know shocking. So everything that I say here is not me being biased it is me being pleasantly surprised.
Ok, now to the review:
The story- the story was like a roller coaster ride. You never knew what would happen next. You were kept on the edge of your seat till the very end. Even when it seemed like everything was ok, you would still wonder if someone was going to pop out of nowhere and ruin everything.
The Acting- Perfect. As I said above, I did not go into this drama as a fan of Lee Jun Ki, but I sure did come out as a fan. The emotions in the drama felt raw and real. Every cast member played their role perfectly and when I say perfectly, I mean as though the character felt real.
Even with the villains, there were times when I could understand why they did what they did which is unusual for a Korean drama. Usually you hate the villains, but for some reason, there where a few evil characters which I just couldn't get myself to hate. Such as "Glue Stick" who you will find out about later..
Music- The music just fit with the drama. It matched well with all the action scenes and the adorable scenes with his daughter.
Re-watch-Would I re-watch this drama? I think that I would maybe later. It's hard to forget this drama so I would wait a little while.
Overall- I found this drama quite enjoyable. I would recommend this drama to anyone who likes suspense, thrillers filled with action or if your a fan of Lee Jun Ki.
I'm not saying this drama is for everyone but I would say if you liked "City Hunter" or "The time between dog and wolf". I would say watch this drama! You will enjoy it!!
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This review may contain spoilers
What a show
!!Recommended!!!It bothers me that this didnt get the hype it deserves. I came watching with zero expectations and then I got hooked. I'm shook about the quality of the show. Everything is top notch, the direction, acting, production and even the plot. The writers actually used their brain cells. The characters are actually smart. Like what??? Everyone is layered, I don't trust whatever word comes out of their mouth. The acting is off the charts, there aren't any cringy parts. There is no dull scene, absolutely love the chemistry between the cast. Lee Young Ae doing wonders as always! Truly a great actress. Was hoping to learn more about her background and how she ended up the way she did.
Love the female leads, their battle is intriguing both similar yet different especially with the paths the chose. Loved their fight in ep6, just hilarious. Kim Hye Joon is truly underrated like her acting surprised me. I'm disappointed that I only heard of her now. The way she is able to execute K's "emotions" are great. K is a psychopath to say the least. Santa is hiding something, he knows more than he leads on. He is such a wildcard, i can barely firgue out what his plan is or who he is. The ending didnt help as there were still questions...frustrated about that. I definitely did not trust the Chief.
The comedy not bad, got me laughing a couple of times. The comedic timing quite good. The OST is fire, it is great. Definitely not a show that should be ignored. Keeping me engaged and entertained, can't wait for the next episodes. The episodes just kept getting better. Just when I thought they have outdone themselves, the twists just kept coming. Each episode grew more intense.
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Yes, the concept is pretty silly in general. A woman convincing a man that she's a robot is not exactly original, or believable, but with these characters, and a story told so well, I was completely sold on it from the beginning. Every single episode was so good, without needing to be too complicated. The episodes also always flew by, and it was torture waiting for the next ones, especially with some of the cliff hanger endings, so I can imagine that this would be super easy to binge watch.
Honestly, It's the characters that really make this story work so well, and I loved every single one of them.
Of course a lot of credit has to be given to Chae Soo Bin, pulling off idealistic Jo Ji Ah and the actual robot Aji-3. She was also super charming which made the story work well, and I think she was perfectly matched with Yoo Seung Ho. As Kim Min Kyu he really pulls off the sympathetic jerk storyline, and even at his worst I couldn't help but like him. Just watching them cheese smile at each other was actually enjoyable, but I loved their chemistry whether they were fighting, crying, or falling/being in love. As cheesy as the situations may have been, their relationship always felt very real. There's no weird and painful to watch lips touching here either... their kisses looked very real too.
As much as I loved the romance, I also loved the Santa Maria research team just as much. They may have been technically supporting characters, but each of them were memorable and felt important to the story. I liked that they all had their own awkwardness, which made them feel like real people. They were more than just comic relief, and became characters who I genuinely cared about. I feel like they all deserve main character status as well. The rest of the cast was great too, with no weak links... Well, maybe some of the villains were a bit one dimensional, but they still played their role well.
What was really endearing about the story to me revolved around Min Kyu's allergy to humans. I almost didn't want to mention it, but I don't consider it a spoiler, and it's what is behind the major themes of trust and connections in the story. I also loved that all of the characters seemed to have their own awkwardness or distance with people (Like, what kind of person turns their ex into a robot???!!!). It made me think a lot about how scary relationships can be, even without an allergy, and I loved watching so many of the characters make their own realizations about that, and learning to connect outside of their comfort zone.
The only part of the plot that I wasn't into was the business rivalry. It wasn't boring, but it just wasn't as interesting as the rest of the show. Watching people fight over who will take over a business is probably one of the most overused plots in kdrama-land, so that's the only part of the story that felt really mediocre, but luckily it doesn't take up much of the episode time.
Would I watch it again? Definitely! It's one of those dramas where missing the characters may make me rewatch this sooner than later (possibly as soon as I finish typing this). And although I didn't really want the drama to end, I think it ended at the perfect place before overstaying it's welcome, or losing it's charm. The ending left me satisfied, even with the few questions I may still have, so I would rather just experience it all again.
I also liked the soundtrack. It's my favorite kind of OST. The kind that brings back the feeling you had while watching.
Even though I think this drama was practically perfect, that should come with a warning. If you don't like cute romance you will probably be ready to drop this early on. If you hate convenient coincidences in dramas, just know that this story is FILLED with them. This drama is mostly super lighthearted, with lots of laughs, though I admit that I cried several times, but don't expect anything too heavy. I also think it can get away with a lot of tropes that other dramas would be criticized for because its so good.
Overall, There's no doubt this drama will be high on my favorites list. Something about this "I am not a Robot" feels classic, and reminds me of some of my old school favorite dramas. These quirky characters will stay with me for a long time, including Aji-3. It just goes to show that a story doesn't have to be intense to leave a strong impression.
Now someone needs to get me those heart lamps, and that silly umbrella!
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I really like it
If you watched Pornographer, you “must” watch Playback and Spring Life Continued. I posted before, according to the Twitter of the production company, the correct order to watch is Pornographer, Mood Indigo, Spring Life, Playback and Spring Life Continued. I didn’t know this and watched SLC first before Playback because SLC was available. Not a big deal but watching SLC the last will definitely give you a better feeling of completion. I have to admit I haven’t watched Indigo because Kido creeps me out. I will probably watch it eventually.Now about Playback, I love this better than Pornographer. This dives deeper into the personality of Rio and the development of their relationship. I think the whole series is a 9 for me. But bear in mind this is a movie, so compared to the series, everything here is a little rushed. I still think it showed everything needed to be told. I don’t really think I have spoiler in this review but I checked that anyway. ☺️
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This review may contain spoilers
Lol, I think I'm more in love with Luo Yunxi because of this drama
Tissue Rate (aka how much I cried); 0.5 out of 5 (this drama really just me smile and laugh a lot)Omg I don't even know where to begin with this drama! Like the cast is absolutely AMAZING! The two main leads (Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu) chemistry is so so cute (I love how comfortable they are with each other in the behind the scene clips)! I really hope there is going to be another drama together with them in it! I also really love how each character developed nicely and there weren't many backstabs throughout rivals (compared to other dramas) and I love how the main two leads always stayed true to each other and I love how they are always there for each other even if they one were to be upset with one another or something bad happened in the relationship. I also enjoy how sweet the romance is and how funny the scenes are whenever the kiss (lol like when the younger cousin saw making out or when Jiang Jun’s mom caught them on the couch). This drama has each a good lighthearted and feel good vibe that you get when watching this drama!
Also this drama has really made me fall in love with Luo Yunxi's acting (like really in love lol)! I've seen him in Ashes of Love and I loved his acting there but his acting in this drama just hits differently.
But overall, i definitely would recommend this drama to others (Already got one of my friend's hooked to this lol)!! The office romances in this drama was super lowkey and not cringey so don't be scared to go for it when starting this drama!!
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If you're in the mood for drama and romance then that's great because that's all you get! There's no mystery, or action, or anything like that. It's just two people quickly falling in love and then finding it hard to stick together due to outsiders and their own different ideals.
Now for the long explanation!
It's got a bit of a trashy-romance-novel vibe about it but in a totally good way. It's storyline is not very realistic so it plays out like a fantasy of a 30+ year old woman rather than a serious take on relationships. I think this is part of the reason why it's got so much re-watch value. It's short, very easy to plough through for a second time and to just not pay attention to the so-so story but then look up when Kame is taking his shirt off (I’m sorry/not-sorry). Even though I say that you'll still have a knot in your throat at moments.
I was surprised to see comments saying the sex scenes were bad! I don't think they are bad at all. They're certainly more... modest than your western dramas (no bare butts, no *cough* thrusting) just passionate kissing, semi-naked cuddling, and post sex spooning - which I guess must be risqué for a show aimed at Japanese women! The acting is very well done and, though Kame is a little too short and muscular to be a dancer, and Fukada is far too beautiful and alluring to be that innocent, I think they fit their characters well and look really good together.
To be honest it was quite fun to see Kame acting in a role where he isn't so sweet, perfect, and adorable. This role felt pretty different to other characters he plays. Even though he is playing a good-looking and hard-working boyfriend which pretty standard when it comes to Kame, however, Kei is not nearly as sweet, caring, and innocent as his pervious characters. Kei is single minded, has a much more natural appearance (as aposed to Kame's idol look), and less traditional with relationships - not interested in marriage or children. Kame's dancing is amazing (I have a dancing background) and for those saying he has a stunt double doing all his difficult moves should remember that he is a Johnny's idol and started his career as a backing dancer. He is perfectly capable of doing flips, one handed cartwheels, and things like that.
The music was a bit of a low point for me. None of the music itself was bad but I felt that it often was misplaced. As a KAT-TUN fan it hurts me to say this but KISS KISS KISS does not fit this drama at all. The song is far too bombastic and is used in scenes which really needed something much more subdued. It really took me out of some scenes and ruined really good moments. However the rest of the music in Second Love is great and fits the drama perfectly.
Overall I gave this drama a 8 which for some might seem a little high. However I truly enjoyed this drama. Yes the plot is pretty unbelievable and some side characters (though well acted) I found distracting and annoying, but it was fun, sexy, and I could 100% re-watch this again. I would defiantly recommend it but don't go in with high expectations - go in to have a bit of fun!
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when I watch a zombie story it's all the same, and I'll be honest, it's not scary.. it's like step 1-an experiment gone wrong. 2- one mutated/infected zombie bites everyone. 3- a group of people try to survive...
like why did no one try to remove a zombies teeth before? that was hilarious.. and it has such a 180 concept of how people changed that was another hilarious part.. overall the movie didn't take itself seriously, I think that's the best part, it's a silly lighthearted new twist to the zombie story that's been told a million times..
I never rewatch stuff, but this was silly enough that might make me rewatch it ;)
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Tribes and Empires: Storm of Prophecy
39 people found this review helpful
This series has it all for me... Action, Magic and Intrigue with stunning scenery. The beginning did not 'hook' me in at first, but once the plot starts to develop intricacies it began to captivate me. The slow movement and stillness of the scenes provokes emotion and suspense coupled often with ethereal music that lends a timeless quality to understanding the character's motives and actions based on the causal events of the past. I find the series masterful and engaging.
Episode 40 & 41 - I love the alchemical use of the natural elements in the soundtrack, instead of background music episode 40 uses Rain and episode 41 uses Wind and of course there is the crackling of fire in the camp. So much majesty has been put into this drama, it is a work of Art, Frame by Frame.
Episode 47 - the soundtrack is amazing, the music itself takes you on a journey - it's an acoustical odyssey. Cherchez La Femme - it's interesting that they are using women each time as catalysts to ignite a reaction that triggers a turn of events or should it be Cherchez Le Sorcier? The cinematography throughout this drama is pure visual poetry, enchanting the viewer with the connection to nature; even in Ep. 66 the background noise of crickets chirping adds a layer of subtlety.
Ep. 71-74: There are a lot of fragmented flashbacks that seemed like a Bohemian Rhapsody: 'Is this the Real Life or is this just Fantasy, caught in a landslide, no escape from Reality. Open your eyes look up to the skies and See...' The costume, set designs and use of colour were also aesthetically pleasing. This should be the Flagship model that will hopefully lead the industry as an example for new dramas in the future. It's refreshing to view a mature series with such depth instead of the shallow young adult dramas with sappy dialogue and dysfunctional relationships that we have been over-saturated with for years. I will wait in anticipation for the next season to see what the artists conjure up next!
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pretty faces, no value.
overall, boring. i mean, i did like that in some ways, but there shouldve been more to it.
considering this show takes place on an island you think they would take advantage of their surroundings and maybe go on hikes or zip lining, or challenges for contestants like surfing or something. instead there were like three “challenges” where they ran into the water or push each other around in mud. all of the contestants also just stay on the beach and complain how hot it is all day. which btw, how will they call this hell when everything is provided for them and there aren’t any actual hardships besides lack of phone lol. like why didnt they have them explore together or do something challenging?
it felt like i was mostly just watching them have excessively deep convos about their feelings for each other. it’s ridiculous how attached they get to other contestants because theyd have been there for a day and theyre obsessed. i wish the series had taken longer so the relationships made more sense. and none of the contestants were sincere, it was clear they were there to promote their social medias or business. the ones that were sincere had no screen time.
as for the commentators, they kept trying to make drama where there wasn’t any. like a zoomed in shot of someone’s face suddenly meant that they were torn apart on the inside. plus, they kept excusing a lot of the male contestants behavior, calling sehoon admirable for chasing after jiyeon even though she stated she didnt like him.
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Dating show with k-drama plot quality.
The show was weirdly addicting, even though it was far softer compared to western dating shows. The focus on the feelings and not just sexual attraction made the stakes higher, even though I knew it’s all over the top behavior. They knew each other for 8 days, how much in love can they truly be?The aspect that was for me as interesting as the show itself was the audience reaction. The double standards we had were strong, and it has been just hilarious to watch. JiA playing all the guys? Queen. Jin Taek showing interest in someone else, because he was not sure about the feelings for his first pick? Trash. So Yeon being true to her feelings and saying what she wants to say: honest and caring. Se Hoon being true to his feelings and saying what he wants to say: egoistic and selfish. And the same story happened with a lot of male and female contestants.
Truth is, the female contestants are not unproblematic queens that deserve better. They were all just normal people, who barely knew each other and had no obligation to stay loyal to anyone just because they picked them once. They guys were not trash, there were no red flags, we are all just hypersensitive about the most basic and normal behavior.
As entertaining as the show was, I had few complaints. First, it was way too short. I would say adding at least 2 more episodes would be better. Keep the 8 days format, but getting 2 episodes per day would be ideal. It would make it easier to understand the relations between contestants and understand their choices. I feel like sometimes we just missed the context, because it was never shown on screen.
Another thing was adding new contestants so late. If they decided to stir the pot, they should have added them after the first date - long term it would create more tension that they wanted, and not last minute cheap “twists”. Not to mention the idiocy of casting Cha Hyun Seung, when he knew few contestants, which goes against everything these shows are about (and the “not knowing each other's age and profession).
Overall, I had a lot of fun. My favorite person was An Ye Wow - the only one who took the show for what it was: a little bit of fun adventure. Everyone was so serious, as if they were about to get married the moment the program ended, while she was just having fun meeting new people and enjoying herself. The best chemistry for me was between Hyun Joong, So Yeon and Se Hoon - these three were such an underrated comedic trio who radiated best friends vibe, I wish we could just watch them chilling and joking around a bit more. Best thing was: I did not really feel bad for anyone. Picking extremely good looking, popular, successful people makes me take their love hardships less seriously. “Oh no, this hot dude in his mid 20’ just got rejected for the first time in his life, what a tragedy”.
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Excellent Production
[Note to fans of Yanxi Palace: Please treat this drama as a separate story from Yanxi. If you have seen production spoilers on the internet, please ignore them. It's best to view this drama FRESH.]The story takes place around the end of the Warring States Period in China (475-221BC) and it highlights the conflicts between the Qin and Zhao States. The three main characters enter the story as Li Hao Lan (born to the imperial censor in Zhao) is banished from home and sold to the merchant Lǚ Bu Wei. Later, they meet the prince from Qin who is kept as a hostage in Zhao, Ying Yi Ren. With their help, Ying Yi Ren escapes Zhao, becomes the King of Qin, and later passes the throne to his son and heir, Ying Zheng (later known as Qin Shi Huang -- the first Emperor to unify China). Li Hao Lan is Ying Zheng's mother and she later becomes the Empress Dowager.
This drama is high-quality and unique: story, cast, costume, setting, music, etc. The characters are complex and have layers/depth. The story is for members in the audience who enjoy thinking about the story and characters , long after the episodes reach their conclusion. This drama has several complex hidden messages for the viewers. Each main and supporting character has their own lessons to share. The main story and its deeper meanings are clear for everyone in the audience to interpret in their own way...
There are many memorable characters in this drama -- main and supporting roles. Their story lines and subplots are highly enjoyable!
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This review may contain spoilers
I'm just disappointed at this point
The way this drama pissed me off so much I'm writing a review to save innocent souls from wasting their free will on this mess. Consider this your warning: Penthouse 3 is pure chaos. High-level spoiler alert ahead, but honestly? I don’t even care. Maybe you need to witness the madness yourself to truly understand.That ending made the least sense in all the nonsense of this season. One, Logan's dead was defo tacked on for no reason, if his cancer came back, Seok Hyung could have donated her stem cell just like Seol A did before since they are twin so she would be a match. But I get that he might not have wanted to keep living cause Sim Su Ryeon was dead, but according to his character, he would have tried to survive to take care of the Seok 'twins' and Bae Ro Na or something.
Sim Su Ryeon basically killing herself is so unlike her character, I get that she lost a lot but she had a lot to live for, mainly her children, especially after finding out that Seok Hyun was her biological daughter, and her 'fake' other daughter in USA (that was forgotten about), also Seok Hoon and Logan and Bae Rona. Stupid death in my opinion.
Also I fully believed that the wedding/engagement was purposely planned to catch Ju Dan Tae, it didn't make sense that they would have such a big event and not expect him to show up and sabotage it. Logan even saw him before he went up to see Su Ryeon but then he magically forgot about him and was shocked when he was there. What kind of trash security did they have! And who picks up a call on their wedding/engagement walking down the aisle.
To even talk about Oh Yoon Hee's death, makes my brain hurt, excuse me but when did Penthouse turn to a Marvel movie, Yoon Hee was pushing back her car at the edge of a cliff while another car with a brick on the accelerator is pushing on her car, how? What kinda Super solider serum, Hulk ass power does she have? Before she got to the back of the car, she opened the door where Eun Byeol was unconscious and was shouting at her to wake up, instead of dragging her out like Seo Jin did later on. It was just so dumb.
Lastly, Ju Dan Tae, his man, for the amount of stress and hatred I felt in my body for his guy, his death was not it. It did not satisfy me at all, the amount of evil he's done and gotten away with it, he should have dead way worse, a bullet to the head and falling from the Penthouse onto the statue. DEAD. I wanted Vincenzo level of torture and death, he deserved that. Remember how he tried to kill Bae Ro Na by stabbing her in the brain, ruthlessly and returning like he did nothing. No, that man is truly evil and he deserved more pain in his death. Same goes for Cheon Seo Jin, she did too much to end up killing herself, I get that she's remorseful after what her daughter said in the court room and her ex told Su Ryeon to not kill her but NO, she should have lived a long life in prison, paying for her punishment.
Also, I agree with people who said that this season shouldn't have happened if they were just gonna kill the main 2 good guys, Su Ryeon and Logan, cause in season 1, it was Su Ryeon that 'died' then season 2, it was Logan. Might as well have finished it at season 2 cause Logan coming back was not needed. Lowkey, Su Ryeon could have done all of this by herself with the help of the other people.
I feel like the writers were very inconsistent about the characters, one minute, Su Ryeon and Logan are super smart and they thought of every possibility and planned for it. Other times, they are super dumb and fall for everything. Same with Ju Dan Tae, to be honest, Ju Dan Tae's character, he would have survived season 3 (not the part where he was shot but before that when people were coming to him to ask for money for the copy of him/Seo Jin killing Oh Yoon Hee. He would have just planned to kill them like he normally does, but this time he folds and gives them money til he was broke? Just feel like his character got really dumb at the end just so they can kill him and end it all. So to me it's unsatisfying.
Also what happened to Alex and his black bodyguards?
What happened to Sim Su Ryeon's fake daughter?
What happened to Jennie's Dad?
And the real Ju Dan Tae?
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This review may contain spoilers
OK I am not 1 that goes all 10's on any drama. There is usually something that I don't like, but this drama just hit my top 10. I was so blown away by how it kept me guessing the whole time. It was amazing. I loved every part about it. The acting totally killed, the music was exactly right, loved the story, & I will watch it again just b/c it was that good! There is a big red tip here that says not to post spoilers. So I won't, but man let me tell u I was soooooo not disappointed by any part of this drama. I enjoyed all the main actors & loved the ending. It was exactly how I would have ended it. I think that even if u don't like melodrama's that this 1 would change how u think about them. It was totally killer.
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ACTION: There are few plot holes but regardless, the drama is pretty decent. The action scenes are not that powerful like any other sageuk drama but still good. I love the turning kick, flying kick, the punches. The fact that Kim Myungsoo trained for weeks to do the stunts alone without having a double, I’m giving him that credit. Good job.
ROMANCE: There was no Romance tag before the promotion of this drama. To those who keep asking if there will be romance or not, the first episode will give you hints (so better watch it).
CHEMISTRY: Some says that ML and FL has no chemistry, and that Kwon Nara looks older for him. Let me give you a fact. They were both born on March 13 but Kwon Nara was born in 1991 and Kim Myungsoo is a ’92 liner. So Yes, Kwon Nara is 1 year older. And maybe, you still can’t move on with Danyeon Couple – know what I mean (I’m one of them). I’m telling you, Yi-gyeom and Da-in chemistry (ship) is smoothly sailing. The way they give concerns to each other, then later on bickers, will give you butterflies. Also, Yi-Gyeom and Chunsam’s chemistry is so funny.
PRODUCTION: If you think that the drama is a low budget because their wardrobe is not as fancy as other saguek drama, well for me, it’s a No. The story is not about the Royal Family. The ML is not a KING or a PRINCE. He’s just an ordinary man working at the palace with a pretty good position so don’t expect him to wear that fancy thing. Their attire fits perfectly for each character and for every situation they are in. Though sometimes Da-in’s lipstick is kinda flashy when she’s wearing man’s clothes. The cinematography is not dull as what others think. Check your phone and laptop or tv. They have different vibrance, lol. :-D
ACTING: Though I still have hang-over with Kim Myungsoo’s character as KIM DAN, I’m loving his character now as Sung Yi-gyeom. He delivers the character well. His facial expression is like emojis. Kwon Nara on the other side is also doing a good job portraying as Hong Dain. Though I say, in the last scene of episode 4, it’s kinda awkward. Lee Yi-Kyung, as always… he makes me laugh in every scene that he has.
OST: So far, we only have 1 OST for the 5 episodes. They haven’t released the full version yet but N.Flying’s OST I’ll Find You is such a bop. KBS please released it soon.
So, for those who are having doubts whether to watch or not, give it a try. It’s a pretty good drama. See for yourself. We do have our own taste buds you know.
I’ll update my review soon
NOTE: Comparing this to MR. QUEEN is lame because they are of different genre and plot. Also, if you think the drama is underrated, well it’s not. The fact that the ratings for each episode is in 5% range despite having a strong contender (I know you know it) even before the drama airs, I must say it’s not underrated. So far, I'm enjoying this drama.
UPDATE: I won't say much. But I just want to tell you all that the story of this drama keeps getting better and exciting. Every episode is a must watch -- The blossoming romance between FL and ML, the complicated relationship between ML and his half brother. The problems that they have to deal with - corruption, murder and more.
UPDATE: I'm only giving this a 9.5 rating as I badly want season 2 for this drama. This drama ended with 14% for the last episode (such an achievement for KBS because it has been long (2018) since they achieved a double digit rating in Mon-tues drama timeslot. Too bad many viewers are sleeping on this masterpiece. It deserves recognition and hype too.
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This drama is a simple romance. Nothing more. Nothing less
Don't expect the most original of the stories, don't expect a gritty, edgy tale. The story is as simple as it can get. And cliché too. Really cliché.
We have our aloof rich dude, Ji Soo Ho, and our candy girl, Song Geu Rim. We have our controlling evil mom, Nam Joo Ha and the love rivals, Lee Kang and Jin Tae Ri. However, althought there ARE a lot of clichés, I was pleasant surprised by how most of them were desconstructed. The characters feel like they could be real people. Each has their flaws and virtues.
Yoon Doo Joon was so good as the cold Soo Ho. You could see the façade he put, you could feel how deeply he was hurting inside. And despite what many think, I didn't feel turned off by his gap with Kim So Hyun, they had a nice chemistry and it didn't really feel like I was seeing a younger girl and an older man (although both are still young in my opinion, YDJ not so much)
Talking about KSH, I really liked her acting and character as well. She was different from most candy girls, more down to earth but still being a shameless optimistic. And like many other of her works, KSH has such a natural way with acting. She feels genuine and you can't help but like her. She did great with her first "adult" role.
I also really liked Yoon Park as Lee Kang haha I'll admit that at first I didn't recognize him at all, so I was all like "hmmm I've seen him somewhere" but it wasn't until I checked the cast I recognized him fully lol Back to his acting...he's clearly the second lead. The funny part is that you can't really figure out if he's a romantic rival or just a weirdo who is very touchy feely. And that's the good in his acting: he kept me trying to guess his character even though it was so clear who he was. His actions were unpredictable, and his behaviour funny in a very twisted way.
I saw some complaints about Yura and her acting, but honestly in my opinion she was okay (?) I mean, she was so underdeveloped that for me it wouldn't make a huge difference if she was part of the drama or not. Her character could be easily removed and it wouldn't change anything. Although I have to admit I liked what they tryed but failed to do with her character.
Being an ex-journalist, I used to work with radio as well, so obviously I was at least a bit excited to see how they would portray it on TV. The result didn't deserve my hype.
The first episode had me like: "WTF?" all the way through. Seriously, and the way the drama portrays doing radio is romantized to say the least. No, there's no such thing as describing the sunset on radio. Radio is highly scripted and the DJs are supposed to talk as clearly and objectively as they can. Maybe it can vary from country to country, but I would like at least a bit of more research on how everything works. I found it really strange how they talked about how radio was so great but didn't bother to at least show some of it's story. C'mon, we are talking about one of the oldest communication devices here.
I didn't need a whole description, but some mentions would be good.
Also, would it hurt to be less cringy? Whenever I saw a slow-mo I had the urge to roll my eyes to the back of my head. The cheese was real on this one. Like I said, it's romantic to the core, actually to the point of giving you cavities. However, being a fluffy sucker like I am, I can kinda forgive haha
The pacing seemed strange sometimes too. I mean, sometimes it was too slow, then too fast. Then in the last few episodes every piece was put together but it still felt a little rushed to me. Some consistency wouldn't hurt too, because without it we really don't know where the drama is really going to. Is it purely about romance? Are they going to focus solely on radio? Is there a mystery at all? Everything ended up being confusing.
And even though the characters were quite pleasant to watch, some felt a bit too underdeveloped for me. It lacked some more story. If you're going to present a character that has depth, then show me WHY instead of only giving me glimpses of what could've been. And even if you, don't rush it like this drama did. Because I ended up liking more the idea of a certain character, the potential they had, than what I was really shown. Soo Ho's mom and Tae Ri are great examples of this, but I would love some more work on the others as well.
The music was cute. Just that, I didn't really care nor paid attention. Actually, the music that had my attention was actually the background music rather than the OSTs haha Whenever they were at an event, shop or store and I heard music like "Peek-A-Boo" or Bruno Mars' hits, I would get all excited. Which is also a negative since the OSTs are supposed to be one of the highlights of a drama. Music matters too.
Rewatch value? Hmmm, maybe yes because I'm a shameless Kim So Hyun stan haha But for those who like romance and some good moments, it's worth watching again after some time.
All in all Radio Romance was, like some said, mostly a "filler" drama. It had good acting, some good moments, emotional moments too but also plenty of flaws. In the end this is just an average drama that you watch to pass time. But being average doesn't necessarily means it's bad, it's just that this drama clearly has a target audience and it didn't get out of it's comfort zone. So if you're a fan of romance, then give this one a try, but watch knowing you won't be seeing the next great epic romance, just a cute little romance.
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